Generally, ribbon transducers are fixed at the ends to a rigid support, in such manner to be tensioned in order to vibrate and generate an acoustic signal.
However, such types of ribbon transducers have a short life because they tend to tear or loosen during operation, resulting in degraded performance.
Such problems are at least partially solved in the European patent EP 0 404 487 (Celestion), which discloses an elastic damping element shaped as a flat plate that is glued in a section of the ribbon near its end. In any case, both the end of the ribbon and the end of the elastic element are fixed to a rigid support element.
The solution disclosed in EP 0 404 487 is impaired by several drawbacks.
The ribbon cannot be suitably tensioned, otherwise the elastic element would detach from the ribbon; consequently, good performance is impossible to obtain and the tension of the ribbon cannot be set d according to the requirements and type of sound to be obtained.
The ribbon only has one monolateral asymmetric curvature; consequently, the elastic damping element has a limited travel with respect to the constraints and the ribbon may break in case of multi-directional stress, for example orthogonal distractions to the longitudinal axis of the ribbon.
The elastic damping element is flat and not conductive (therefore inactive) and has the same width as the conductive ribbon. Therefore, the elastic damping element introduces an asymmetry, and especially a spurious emission caused by its geometry. In fact, said elastic element can be efficiently coupled with air and can produce a sound that, in such a situation, interferes with the primary source (sound emitted by the ribbon) that should instead be the only source to emit a sound. These types of elastic elements are light and able to vibrate in an anomalous way not related with the main signal.
Such a system is rather complex to assemble because it provides for two anchoring points to the rigid support. In fact, both the end of the ribbon and the end of the elastic element must be fixed to the rigid support. Moreover, damping material must be necessarily inserted in the area where the ribbon is folded in order to decrease mechanical and acoustic interference. Additionally, such an approach requires dynamometric systems in order to calibrate the tensioning of the system.